Click shield simplifies integration of Arduino Portenta with over 1600 Click boards

MIKROE has announced a Click shield for Arduino Portenta, a simple means of combining the Portenta's functionality with the breadth and depth of MIKROE's 1600+-strong family of Click board peripheral add-on boards. The shield comes equipped with two mikroBUS sockets, allowing developers to integrate a wide range of functions – from sensors and communication modules to advanced audio processing and motor control – with the powerful Portenta.

Comments Nebojsa Matic, CEO of MIKROE: "This Click shield provides a cost-effective and versatile platform for users to experiment with new ideas and build prototypes leveraging the dual-core capability of the STM32H747 processor in Portenta. These boards support a variety of development environments and are particularly suited for high-performance industrial applications, blending low power consumption with advanced features like machine learning and IoT connectivity."

The Portenta supports the simultaneous execution of Arduino code and MicroPython, providing robust connectivity options like WiFi, BLE, and optional LoRa or cellular modules. Its modular design improves its adaptability for additional hardware, suiting it for industrial use in demanding environments such as machinery, PLCs, and robotics. Additionally, it can handle AI and ML applications, permitting for the implementation of intelligent IoT solutions directly on the device.

The shield includes several essential features to enhance the board's functionality and ease of use. The Boot mode switch (BT SEL switch) permits users to configure the board's boot mode, and a JTAG connector enables easy debugging and low-level debugging tasks or special firmware updates using an external programmer. The shield's I2S pins are excellent for high-quality audio processing and streaming tasks on the Portenta, supplying a valuable addition for developers exploring advanced multimedia projects.

The shield has three vital connectors that greatly expand the board's capabilities. The Ethernet connector allows the Portenta to connect to the internet via an Ethernet cable, allowing for robust network interactions such as sending HTTP methods or communicating with other devices and APIs. Also, it includes a camera connector that enables the rapid development of machine vision applications. This allows the Portenta to transform into an industrial camera capable of performing real-time machine-learning algorithms on live video feeds. Thanks to the MicroSD card holder on the shield, captured frames can be encoded to bitmap standards and saved to an SD Card, and configuration files can also be read from the SD card, enhancing the board's utility in complex projects.